Title: Managing Editor
Specifications: 12-Months Fixed Term – Contract
Salary: £42,000 per annum  
Location: UK – Remote/Flexible
Directorate: Evidence Production & Method
Closing date: 11 May 2023
 
Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's members and supporters come from more than 190 countries. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

Reporting to the Senior Managing Editor and working with members of the Editorial Production and Methods Directorate, the role holder will need to have good awareness of Cochrane guidance for different types of standard and complex systematic reviews (intervention, qualitative, diagnostic test accuracy, prognosis, rapid and overview), plan how they will need to be handled in their team, and work to ensure that deadlines are met. The role holder will also be required to ensure that pilots aimed at innovating the editorial process can be supported as needed.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect: 

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.
• The deadline to receive your application is 11th May, 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Friday, April 28, 2023 Category: Jobs

Cochrane France is dedicated to promoting evidence-informed decision-making and practice. To support this mission, Cochrane France has launched a new project, Cochrane Clinical Vignettes. Cochrane France intends to produce several clinical vignettes per year covering various medical specialties in collaboration with Cochrane Skin, Cochrane Lung Cancer, and Cochrane Training.

These clinical vignettes will present a clinical case scenario and a summary of the systematic review's findings and conclusions, with users being prompted to identify the most effective intervention based on the evidence presented in the vignette. The objective of these clinical vignettes is to enhance the users’ ability to apply evidence-based interventions in clinical practice, thereby improving patient outcomes. We encourage healthcare practitioners, researchers, and students to use these clinical vignettes to promote evidence-based therapies in clinical practice. Using these vignettes can improve your capacity to use the most recent evidence-based interventions in real-world settings.

The clinical vignettes will be available in French and English, making them more accessible to a wider audience. They are designed to be user-friendly and should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes of the user's time to complete.

List of vignettes:

• Use of topical corticosteroids in eczema - available in English and French
  Created by Cochrane Skin and Cochrane France, this vignette presents a common clinical scenario and provides users with evidence-based recommendations regarding strategies for using topical corticosteroids in children and adults with eczema.

• Infantile Haemangioma of the Skin - available in English and French
  Created by Cochrane Skin and Cochrane France, this vignette presents a common clinical scenario and provides users with evidence-based recommendations on the management of infantile haemangioma.

Friday, September 15, 2023 Category: The difference we make

Interventions aimed at reducing work-related stress for individual healthcare workers may lead to improvements in how people cope with stress up to a year later. Findings from a Cochrane review of the latest available evidence build on the conclusions of a previous review in 2015 that found low-quality evidence that interventions, such as cognitive behavioural training (CBT), mental and physical relaxation, were better than none.

The researchers included 117 studies of the effects of different interventions on stress alleviation in the current review, of which 89 studies were new. These 89 studies were published between 2013 and 2022. A total of 11,119 healthcare workers worldwide were randomised to different interventions, and stress was assessed by questionnaires measuring stress symptoms in the short term (up to three months after an intervention ended), in the medium term (between three and 12 months) and long-term (follow-up after more than a year).

The review from Cochrane, a collaboration of independent, international experts, looked at interventions at the level of the individual healthcare worker that focused attention either on the experience of stress, or away from the experience of stress. Strategies for focusing attention on the stress included CBT, and training on assertiveness, coping and communication skills. Interventions that focus attention away from the stress included relaxation, mindfulness meditation, exercise such as yoga and tai chi, massage, acupuncture, and listening to music. The researchers wanted to see whether different types of interventions were better than no intervention in reducing stress.

The healthcare workers in the studies were experiencing low to moderate levels of stress and burnout, which can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension or pain, but also mental symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, impaired concentration and emotional and relationship problems.

Sietske Tamminga, assistant professor in public and occupational health at Amsterdam University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, who led the research said: “Healthcare workers often deal with stressful and emotional situations in patient care, human suffering, and pressure from relationships with patients, family members and employers, as well as high work demands and long working hours.

“We found that healthcare workers might be able to reduce their stress by means of individual-level interventions such as cognitive behaviour training, exercising or listening to music. This may be beneficial for the healthcare workers themselves and it may spill over to the patients they care for, and the organisations they work for. The effect may last for up to a year and a combination of interventions may be beneficial as well, at least in the short term. Employers should not hesitate to facilitate a range of stress interventions for their employees. The long-term effects of stress management interventions remain unknown.”

The researchers say that larger, better-quality studies are needed to look at both the short- and long-term effects of individual level interventions in order to increase the certainty of the evidence.

“We need more studies on interventions addressing work-related risk factors both at the individual and organisational level,” said Dr Tamminga. “It might be even more beneficial to improve working conditions themselves, instead of only helping individuals to deal better with heavy psychosocial burdens. For example, employers could address problems of understaffing, over-work and anti-social shift patterns. If you’re dedicated to change, you need to change the underlying risk factors rather than focusing on the symptoms.”

Limitations of the research include: the estimates of the effects of individual-level stress management interventions may be biased because of a lack of blinding of the participants in the included studies; many studies were small; and there were too few studies that focused on specific factors that can cause stress in the workplace.

Studies have reported that between 30% to 70% of physicians and nurses and 56% of anaesthesiologists experience burnout symptoms as a result of their work. Previous research has tended to focus on a particular type of intervention in specific groups of healthcare workers. The authors of this Cochrane review write: “To the best of our knowledge there are no up-to-date reviews that examine the effectiveness of various types of individual-level interventions aimed at reducing stress in various healthcare workers to provide a more complete overview.”

Dr Tamminga concluded: “There is already a shortage of healthcare workers due to high turnover rates, and effective prevention of stress and burnout may help to reduce this.”

• Read 'Individual-level interventions for reducing occupational stress in healthcare workers'

Tamminga SJ, Emal LM, Boschman JS, Levasseur A, Thota A, Ruotsalainen JH, Schelvis RMC, Nieuwenhuijsen K, van der Molen HF. IIndividual-level interventions for reducing occupational stress in healthcare workers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews TBD, Issue TBD. Art. No.: CD002892. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002892.pub6

Friday, May 12, 2023

A new Cochrane Review has found that, compared with standard antibiotic treatment, stool transplantation can increase the number of people recovering from Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection, a condition which causes potentially life-threatening diarrhea. 77 percent of people who received a stool transplant did not experience reinfection within eight weeks, compared to 40 percent of those who received antibiotics alone.

C. diff is a bacterium that can cause life-threatening diarrheal illness in individuals with an unhealthy mixture of gut bacteria, known as dysbiosis. The most common cause of dysbiosis is treatment with antibiotics, and while antibiotics can be very effective against bacterial infections, they can also harm the beneficial bacteria colonizing the gut, known as the intestinal microbiome. Usually this ecosystem of “good” bacteria recovers quickly, but occasionally “bad” species like C. diff take over and cause serious diarrhea.

The standard treatment of C. diff infection includes antibiotics, which may further exacerbate dysbiosis. This can lead to a vicious cycle of brief treatment effect followed by a recurrent infection. This happens in nearly a third of infected individuals. According to the CDC, every year there are around a quarter of a million C. diff infections in the US alone, causing approximately 12,000 fatalities.

Transplanting healthy donor stool into a gut with dysbiosis is intended to balance the gut microbes and reestablish a healthy microbiome, thus significantly reducing the risk of C. diff recurring. Stool donation operates much the same way as blood donation. Donors are screened for diseases and infections before they can donate their stool. The stool can be transplanted via colonoscopy, nasogastric or nasoduodenal tube, enema or via a capsule. The US Food and Drug Administration has recently approved a stool transplant product for prevention of recurrence of C. diff that can be administered as enema.

The new Cochrane Review, led by pediatric gastroenterologist Aamer Imdad MBBS, examined data from six clinical trials with a total of 320 adults that assessed the efficacy and safety of stool transplantation for the treatment of repeated C. diff infection. Two studies were conducted in Denmark, and one each in the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, and the United States. Most of the included studies compared stool transplantation with a standard antibiotic treatment using vancomycin, which is commonly used for this kind of infection.

The review found that stool transplantation leads to a larger increase in resolution of repeated infections of C. diff than other treatments studied, as well as a decrease in side effects when compared with standard treatment using antibiotics.

“After a person with a C. diff infection gets treated with antibiotics, there is about a 25 percent chance that they will have another episode of C. diff infection in the next 8 weeks”, Imdad said. “The risk of recurrence increases to about 40 percent with the second episode and to nearly 60 percent with the third episode. So, once you are in this cycle, it gets more and more difficult to break out of it. Stool transplants can reverse the dysbiosis and thus decrease the risk of recurrence of the disease.”  

A second Cochrane Review, also led by Dr. Imdad, looks at the use of stool transplants for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a term mainly used to describe two conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The review shows promising results for ulcerative colitis; however, the data is not conclusive yet. Results for Crohn’s disease are even less conclusive. More research will be required before stool transplants can be considered for the treatment of IBD.

Imdad collaborated with doctors around the country on both studies, including Nathan Zev Minkoff, a graduate from the Norton College of Medicine, Upstate students Natasha Pandit and Muiz Zaman, Class of 2023 in the Norton College of Medicine and Melissa Medina, Class of 2026 in the Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, on the C-diff study. The other collaborators included Dr. Maribeth Nicholson and Dr. Sari Acra from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Scheherzade Asalam from University of Nebraska, Dr. Emily E Tanner Smith from University of Oregon, Dr. Oscar Gomez from University of Buffalo and Dr. Joseph Zackular from University of Pennsylvania.  

• Read 'Fecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium difficile)'
• Read 'Fecal transplantation for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease'

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Cochrane Denmark and Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO), the Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, invite applications for a one year position as a research assistant.

The position is temporary and is available from 1st September 2023 (starting date negotiable) and for one year, e.g. to 31. August 2024 with the possibility of extension to a subsequent 3-year PhD position.

Cochrane Denmark and Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, SDU

Cochrane Denmark (formerly the Nordic Cochrane Centre) and CEBMO function as a joint research unit at the Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Denmark. Cochrane Denmark conducts research relevant for systematic reviews, promotes Cochrane, and supports authors of Cochrane Reviews in Denmark. CEBMO conducts research, teaches, and provides a methodological consultancy service.

Cochrane Denmark and CEBMO is located at Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. The centre houses the secretariat of the Cochrane Bias Methods Group, which advises the Cochrane collaboration on bias in randomized trials and systematic reviews.

The centre’s main research topics are analysis of risk of bias in trials, reporting guidelines, conflicts of interest, and de-implementation. The centre is responsible for a pre-graduate course in evidence-based medicine for medical students, and postgraduate courses (e.g., PhD courses). Furthermore, the centre runs a methodological consultancy service for clinical researchers, e.g., when conducting systematic reviews.

The position

The position involves research (50%), pre-graduate and postgraduate guidance and teaching (40%) and administration (10%).

We expect potential applicants to have a relevant master’s degree and a research interest in evidence-based medicine and clinical research methodology.

A position involves primarily working on a research project exploring: Reporting bias and protocols in epidemiological studies.

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Head of Centre Asbjørn Hróbjartsson ahrobjartsson@health.sdu.dk or Head of Department of Clinical Research, SDU, Kirsten Ohm Kyvik KKyvik@health.sdu.dk , phone: +45 60113046.

Salary and terms of employment

The successful applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

Application

Applications – including the required attachments – must be sent via the below-mentioned link “Apply online". Only online applications will be accepted. Attached files must be Adobe PDF or Word format. Each field in the application form can contain up to max. 10 Mb.

Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation.

The application must include (as PDF- or docx-files):

• A motivation letter
• A CV
• Academic Certificates inclusive of Master's degree diploma
• An explanation of other qualifications relevant to the position.
• Up to 3 publications (if any)
• List of publications (if any)

Incomplete applications will not be assessed.

Applications may be shortlisted.

Living and Working in Denmark

Foreign applicants will be offered Danish language training as part of the employment. The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark. Among other things, the staff answers questions concerning salary, taxation, housing and accompanying family.  Additional information about working in Denmark can be found at Work in Denmark.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

• Apply here
• Deadline 2 July 2023
• VIsit Cochrane Denmark and Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Odense (CEBMO)

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Category: Jobs

Specifications: Permanent – Full Time
Salary: £26,000 per annum
Location: Ideally based in the UK, candidate from the rest of the world will be considered; however, Cochrane’s Central Executive Team is only able to offer consultancy contracts outside these countries (1-year fixed-term contracts).
Directorate: Chief Executive Officer’s Office
Closing date: 11 May 2023
 
Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. We have 110,000+ members and supporters from more than 220 countries. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

This varied role works closely with the Head of Governance in providing effective and efficient administrative support to Governance. It will also interface with the broader Cochrane Community.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect: 

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.  
• The deadline to receive your application is  11 May 2023
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 Category: Jobs

Monday, April 17, 2023

Cochrane's flagship event, the Cochrane Colloquium,  brings together anyone with an interest in the use of evidence in healthcare decision-making to learn, collaborate, and network. The impact of the Cochrane Colloquium goes beyond the scientific program. For many attendees, it is a life-changing experience that inspires them, connects them with like-minded individuals, and broadens their perspectives.

We already collect stories from the Cochrane Community about how they got involved with Cochrane. This edition of  #MyCochraneStory invites anyone who attended a past Cochrane Colloquium to share their personal stories and reflections on the event. Whether you have a favourite Colloquium moment, a connection you made,  or something you're proud of presenting  - we want to hear from you! 

To share your #MyCochraneStory please contact Lydia Parsonson - lparsonson@cochrane.org - with the following:

• 1-4 photos from past Colloquiums. Please provide a caption for each photo you share. We'll be sharing them as a collage in the news item but may like to share them individually with some context on social media. 
• Your country of residence: Our community is diverse and we want to celebrate this!
• Your Cochrane Story: We want to hear about what your favourite Colloquium memories are and what you think makes the event memorable. 
• Social media handles: We will give your Twitter or Instagram account a tag; just let us know your handles!

Top-left: Cochrane Rehabilitation in Cape Town. Middle: Cochrane Rehabilitation dinner in Edinburgh. Top-right: Cochrane Rehabilitation spaghetti dinner in our Cape Town apartment. Bottom-left: Cochrane Rehabilitation approved by the Governing Board in Seoul. Bottom-right: On the hotel roof terrace during the curfew in Santiago de Chile.

Prof. Stefano Negrini – “Cochrane Rehabilitation was approved at the colloquium in Seoul where Carlotte Kiekens and I participated. Since the start we have been a global collaboration and many representatives from Cochrane Rehabilitation can meet almost exclusively at Colloquia. It’s a great time for us to meet, learn, talk business and have some fun. The days of the Colloquium are filled with meetings, interesting sessions, lots of learning, and networking with new people. And in the evenings we find time to connect with the colleagues of our group and old friends! Beyond the many other moments with Fields representatives and other Cochrane friends, the highlights of Cochrane Rehabilitation included having a Spaghetti dinner in our apartment in Cape Town and going out for dinner together in Edinburgh. Our team is counting down the days to London and looking forward to see you there!”

Richard Morley - "Patients, caregivers and the public (what Cochrane calls consumers) are an integral part of the Cochrane...as well at the Colloquium! I remember the first Patients Included certified event in Edinburgh, and it was an incredibly meaningful and special experience for everyone involved. Patients, advocates, and caregivers felt truly included, and attendees were able to see the direct impact of their work. It's with great pride that I share that this year's Colloquium will be a Patients Included certified event for the second time. This means that patients and caregivers will be actively involved in shaping the program, and that their perspectives and needs will be fully considered throughout the event. It's a true testament to Cochrane's commitment to putting patients at the centre of everything we do, and I can't wait to see the positive impact it will have on all attendees!"

Sabrina Khamissa - "As Cochrane's Event Support Officer, what strikes me most about the Colloquium is the personal touches the host organizing team adds to make it special. From traditional dances to local cuisine, the team highlights the host country's culture, making the event more than just a typical academic conference. This year, I'm excited to see the small details the team has added to decrease the conference's environmental impact, such as venue choice and offering vegetarian food options. The Cochrane Colloquium is a unique opportunity to connect with the evidence synthesis community, learn from experts, and be part of an event that values diversity and sustainability."

Roses Parker - "My first and only Cochrane Colloquium was Santiago in 2019, and I’m still benefiting from the relationships I built there. The program is impressive and deciding what not to go to will be the most difficult thing. As Cochrane's new Commissioning Editor, I am attracted to anything with an equity focus as well as having an interest in priority setting, and stakeholder engagement sessions.  I’m excited to meet my team face-to-face as we’ve not had that opportunity so far. There have been many people I’ve already collaborated with but never met in person. And of course, I’m looking forward to meeting new people too and forging relationships that will support my role in the future.”

Muriah Umoquit - "In 2015, I attended my first Cochrane Colloquium in Vienna with the expectation of a typical academic conference. But I was pleasantly surprised by the unique and inspiring experience that awaited me! From the large plenary sessions to smaller research presentations and poster halls, each Colloquium has something for everyone. More than that, it provides opportunities to connect with experts in evidence synthesis, feel part of the Cochrane Community, and engage in social activities that showcase the host country's culture. As a remote worker, I found it meaningful to connect with people whom I normally only exchange emails with or tag on social media. Everyone is enthusiastic, friendly, and proud to contribute to Cochrane's important work. The Anne Anderson Walk is a beloved tradition that I look forward to at each Colloquium. It's an event where we tour the host city, have some social time, and raise money for the special Anne Anderson Prize. If you're looking for a conference that's more than just another ordinary event, the Cochrane Colloquium in London this year is not to be missed!"

 To share your #MyCochraneStory, please contact Lydia Parsonson - lparsonson@cochrane.org - with the following:

• 1-4 photos from past Colloquiums. Please provide a caption for each photo you share. We'll be sharing them as a collage in the news item but may like to share them individually with some context on social media. 
• Your country of residence: Our community is diverse and we want to celebrate this!
• Your Cochrane Story: We want to hear about what your favourite Colloquium memories are and what you think makes the event memorable.
  Social media handles: We will give your Twitter or Instagram account a tag; just let us know your handles!

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Registration is open for the Cochrane Colloquium, which will take place in London from 4th to 6th September 2023, with satellite events on 3rd September. Cochrane is offering stipends and bursaries to help cover travel and accommodation costs for those who might otherwise be unable to attend, including participants from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The Colloquium will provide an opportunity for individuals to network with other like-minded professionals, share knowledge and expertise, and engage in discussions around evidence-based healthcare. Cochrane believes that by offering these stipends and bursaries, it will be able to attract a diverse group of participants, who will bring with them a range of perspectives and experiences that will enrich the event. 

We spoke to Sabrina Khamissa, Cochrane’s Event Support Officer, about Colloquium stipends and bursaries.

What inspired Cochrane to offer stipends and bursaries for individuals from low- and middle-income countries to attend the Colloquium?

“Cochrane is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within its network and recognizes the importance of making its events accessible to individuals from all backgrounds. The organization understands that individuals from low and middle-income countries may face financial barriers that prevent them from attending the Colloquium and wants to help alleviate those barriers by offering stipends and bursaries. This is a long tradition at Cochrane and we have been offering this for many years.

We are also delighted to have TDR sponsor a limited number of bursaries. TDR is the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, and is a global programme of scientific collaboration that helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty. It is co-sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO).”

How will Cochrane ensure that the stipends and bursaries are distributed fairly and equitably?

“Cochrane has set out clear criteria for eligibility for the stipends and bursaries, and the LMIC Stipend Committee will assess applications based on those criteria. The committee is made up of members who reside in low- or middle-income countries or who are familiar with the practical issues and challenges faced by applicants. They will be mindful of ensuring that the stipends and bursaries are distributed fairly and equitably and will prioritize applicants who demonstrate a clear interest in evidence-based healthcare and who are members of the Cochrane network.”

What kind of activities can attendees expect at the Colloquium?

“Attendees can expect to engage in a range of activities, including interactive sessions, presentations, and workshops. The Colloquium will provide an opportunity for individuals to network with other like-minded professionals, share knowledge and expertise, and engage in discussions around evidence-based healthcare. It’s an excellent opportunity to tap into the global network of Cochrane colleagues! I am personally excited for the social evening event we are planning and the ‘take a break’ floor – there are lots of small touches that are going to make this a unique event for everyone to enjoy!

Check out this video from May Loong Tan. She received a stipend to attend the 2018 Colloquium and shares her experience.”

 How does Cochrane hope that attendees from low- and middle-income countries will contribute to the Colloquium?

“Cochrane’s global network is made up of 50+ countries. Cochrane believes that by promoting the attendance of individuals from low- and middle-income countries, it will bring a range of perspectives and experiences that will enrich the event and will help to foster a more diverse and inclusive community of individuals committed to evidence-based healthcare.” 

If you are interested in attending the Cochrane Colloquium and would like to apply for a stipend or bursary, please visit the Colloquium website for more information and to submit your applications soon! We look forward to welcoming you to London in September 2023!

Friday, April 14, 2023

 At Cochrane, we aim to collaborate and create reliable synthesized evidence, making it accessible to all. We are dedicated to promoting access and the widest possible dissemination of our valuable evidence.

We're now making some big improvements to help continue that mission, by changing the way we share the data that is associated with Cochrane Reviews. Making data available to everyone is at the heart of our core principles. It opens opportunities for collaboration, reduces research waste, makes systematic reviewing more efficient, and ensures transparency and quality.

We are confident that these changes will improve the systematic review process by enabling easier re-use of data across Cochrane Reviews, meaning less time and effort being duplicated. It will also make it easier for users and decision-makers to access and examine the relevant data they need and use it to impact policy.

"I am confident that improving how we share data will appeal to our community of rigorous, passionate researchers. By embracing these new changes, we can to maximise the benefits from the investment in developing Cochrane Reviews, for both authors and users of our evidence .”

- Ella Flemyng, Cochrane Editorial Product Lead

 

“This is a really exciting milestone for Cochrane. This new data format facilitates data re-use, not only in RevMan but other tools too, such as Excel and different statistical packages. It also opens up opportunities for how we can use the data to innovate to best meet our stakeholder needs."

- Gert van Valkenhoef, Head of IT Development and Infrastructure

 Summary: 

• Cochrane is changing the way we share data in a bid to promote collaboration, reduce research waste and ensure quality by making Cochrane Review data more accessible. 
• From 25 April, data associated with Cochrane Reviews can be downloaded from RevMan Web in standard formats, such as CSV and RIS.
• This new data package will include not only analysis data but also all other data associated with the Review related to the included studies, risk of bias assessments, and references.
• As Reviews with this data package are published, it will increase the impact of Cochrane’s Reviews and allow researchers, policymakers, practitioners and others to access and use Cochrane evidence more easily.
• We plan to continue making changes and improvements to pave the way for further innovation, with the potential to improve evidence and patient care.

 What is changing?

From 25 April, changes to RevMan Web mean that authors will be able to download all available data files associated with a Cochrane Review in user-friendly formats like CSV and RIS. These downloadable files will include the Review's analyses data, along with other data associated with the Review - such as study characteristics, study data, risk of bias data and references. But that’s not all – once published, readers of the Cochrane Library will also be able to explore the data associated with the Review. All you have to do is select the 'Download statistical data' option on published Reviews and you'll have all the information you need at your fingertips.

Going forward, this data package will be available with new publications on the Cochrane Library under the same license as the associated Review (‘green’ or ‘gold’). This will of course be reassessed as part of Cochrane’s commitment to move to full open access by 2025.

For Cochrane Reviews published before this change, a conversion service will be available to convert the current downloadable RevMan 5 analyses files into the standard, easily reusable format.

What does it mean for you? 

Authors: We believe these changes are good news for Cochrane authors because they mean that your published Reviews are going to have an even bigger impact. According to extensive research, sharing data leads to increased visibility, usage and impact of your research. This will help your hard work be seen and heard by everyone out there. We also know from our funders that better data sharing is increasingly becoming a key requirement in this area. And this way, RevMan automatically structures and organizes the data so you don’t have to.

Readers and end users: Unlocking data and information has now been made even easier for our users by our new shareable data. With our more streamlined and accessible Reviews, researchers, policymakers, practitioners and other user groups are now able to find the information they need to make impactful decisions.

What’s next?

With this new approach, we aim to make reusing Cochrane Reviews more efficient and effective. Our mission is to increase the visibility and discovery of research data, promote transparency and ensure our information and data can be reproduced. It is the start of Cochrane’s journey towards FAIR principles - Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reuse - of data, which will open up new opportunities for how we can innovate with Cochrane evidence.

Further information:

• Data sharing editorial policy on the Cochrane Library
• Cochrane's FAQs on data sharing
• This is a fundamental step and is all about sharing reusable data so we can pave the way for improved evidence and patient care, as described in Cochrane’s  Linked Data Project

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Monday, April 3, 2023

Monday, March 27, 2023

On the 20th June 2019, Cochrane members published an overview review in the PAIN Journal on the efficacy of pharmacological interventions for children with chronic pain and cancer-related pain (https://bit.ly/2MMm5UH). The overview summarises the evidence from 23 systematic reviews, including several Cochrane Library reviews from our NIHR Programme Grant (https://papas.cochrane.org/nihr-programme-grant-2014-17). This work also builds on a policy workshop we held in 2018 focussing on this topic (https://bit.ly/2RGOGcK).

 

The overview highlights the lack of available evidence across all drugs aimed at relieving pain in children (just 6 trials of 393 participants). Therefore, we have launched a large dissemination plan to share these findings. We are publishing articles, blogs, newsletters, videos, and co-ordinating a social media campaign to help us start a conversation about the importance of evidence production in children’s pain.

 

We thank everyone who has contributed to this important piece of work. Please do feel free to use these links and distribute them widely to help us improve the science, policy and practice of paediatric pain management.

 

 

Resources

 

• Open access overview in PAIN: https://bit.ly/2MMm5UH and commentary via Ovid

 

• Cochrane Special Collection: https://bit.ly/2IM11ta

 

• Cochrane editorial: https://bit.ly/2YgN5N0

 

• Blogs on this evidence base (or its absence)
  • Pharmacotherapy for treating chronic pain in children: A need for pragmatic idealism; Thomas 2020: https://doi.org/10.1111/pan.13781 (download pdf here)
  • Body in Mind blog https://bit.ly/2Flwtwe
  • The Conversation https://bit.ly/2YeBfmI (also shared on Yahoo News here; and IOL here; and MENAFN here)
  • Evidently Cochrane https://bit.ly/2IPzerQ
  • Press release from University of Bath https://bit.ly/2LjwLYp

 

• Supporting videos
  • Dr Emma Fisher’s summary on YouTube https://bit.ly/2RDldjA
  • University of Bath video summary https://twitter.com/UniofBath/status/1143800625764999169
  • PAIN Journal Editor’s Pick video https://bit.ly/2X7HEUh

 

• Summary of the  impact story so far (2019): https://bit.ly/2ITbzXz

 

• Key people to follow on Twitter (hashtag #timeforchange)
  • @Chris_Eccleston
  • @EmmaFisher1
  • @cochranecollab
  • @CochraneUK
  • @CochraneLibrary
  • @UniofBath

 

Other external links

• Somerset Live: Bath Hospital Trust supports study into drug treatment of chronic pain in children (here)
• Medical Xpress: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• News Medical (Life Sciences): Are Chronic Pain Relief Drugs for Children Effective? (here; also on Medicine News Line here; linked to via BioPortfolio here; and on herenciageneticayenfermedad here); and Study reveals lack of evidence for pediatric drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain (here)
• American News Report: Lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• EurekAlert: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• 7th Space: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• Newswise: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• Physical Therapy Products: Chronic Pain in Kids Needs to Be Studied More, Researchers Urge (here)
• The Independent: Children’s pain is under-researched (here - scroll down to end of page)
• Technology.org: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• BBC 1 West - BBC London News (here; here; here)
• BBC Bristol (here)
• Health Canal: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• Europa Press: in Spanish (here and here)
• The Courier & Advertiser Fife edition: Pain relief for children called into question (here - Press Reader account required)
• Health Medicine Network: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• ScienMag: Researchers Reveal Lack Of Evidence For Drugs Prescribed To Treat Chronic Pain In Children (here)
• Science Codex: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)
• Bioengineer.org: Researchers Reveal Lack Of Evidence For Drugs Prescribed To Treat Chronic Pain In Children (here)
• Bright Surf: Researchers reveal lack of evidence for drugs prescribed to treat chronic pain in children (here)

  The story continues...

In 2020, Professor Christopher Eccleston, Dr Emma Fisher, and others produced The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health Commission’s report to address paediatric pain and recommend what more can be done to help children and young people: https://www.thelancet.com/commission/paediatric-pain

More links related to the Lancet launch in October 2020:

• Versus Arthritis news
• University of Bath press announcement
• The New York Times: Respecting Children’s Pain
• Artist Shaniah Barry - You can't see my pain
• Video Abstract: Delivering transformative action in paediatric pain
• The Lancet: Paediatric pain management in low-income and middle-income countries
• Follow on Twitter @LancetChildAdol
• Dalhousie University news

 

And continues...

In December 2020, the WHO published Guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children: access here.

Our Cochrane Reviews contributed to the guideline and Dr Emma Fisher led the review of effectiveness.

Overview (taken from the guideline)

In these guidelines, the World Health Organization (WHO) provides evidence-informed recommendations for the management of chronic pain in children. The recommendations are based on the most current, high-quality scientific evidence, and were formulated following processes and using methods that meet the highest international standards for guideline development. The recommendations in this guideline are based on systematic reviews of the evidence on benefits, harms, acceptability and feasibility, as well as on equity and resource considerations. The recommendations were formulated by the Guideline Development Group, consisting of individuals with diverse expertise and experiences and with global representation. 

The purpose of this guideline is to assist WHO Member States and their partners in developing and implementing national and local policies, regulations, pain management protocols and best practices. It will help countries balance concerns about ensuring access to appropriate therapies for pain relief with the harms arising from misuse of medications and other potential adverse effects of interventions for pain management. 

These guidelines focus on physical, psychological and pharmacological interventions for the management of primary and secondary chronic pain in children 0 to 19 years of age.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Specifications: Maternity cover (12 months)
Salary:  £49,000 per annum
Location: UK or Denmark (based in either the London or Copenhagen office)
Directorate: Publishing and Technology
Closing date: April 06 2023
 
Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's members and supporters come from more than 190 countries. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

The Product Owner (PO) ensures that the Scrum team works efficiently on stories that maximize value for Cochrane in an agile development process, and is primarily focusing on the development of the new web-based Cochrane review authoring tool RevMan.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect: 

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.
• The deadline to receive your application is 6th April, 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 Category: Jobs

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Specifications: 12-month fixed term
Salary:  £37,000 per annum
Location: Flexible; can be based anywhere
Directorate:  Evidence Pipeline and Data Curation Team, Publishing and Technology Directorate
Closing date: April 11 2023
 
Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's members and supporters come from more than 190 countries. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

The purpose of this role is to support the study identification stages critical in the production of Cochrane evidence. To enable this, we have developed the Cochrane Evidence Pipeline. The Evidence Pipeline aims to combine traditional search and retrieval processes with machine learning and crowdsourcing to expedite the study identification process and better enable the recuse of data.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect: 

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.
• The deadline to receive your application is 11th April, 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Monday, March 20, 2023 Category: Jobs

We are delighted to share that Cochrane’s first open access journal, Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods, has published its first articles.

Working in conjunction with our publisher, Wiley, this journal strengthens Cochrane’s ability to meet our stakeholders’ needs and publish different types of evidence synthesis beyond systematic reviews. It also includes methods research evaluating how evidence syntheses is planned, produced and disseminated, and research articles on critical areas for evidence synthesis, such as, priority setting, consumer involvement, and research integrity.  

With the launch Editorial New directions beyond the boundaries of evidence synthesis, Michael Brown (Editor, Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods) and Ella Flemyng (Editorial Product Lead, Cochrane) discuss the scope and ethos of the journal, and how they hope the journal will contribute to the field.

Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods’ first published paper is the rapid review on the effect of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of people with post-COVID-19, which is an exemplar for the types of rapid reviews we will feature. The authors, led by KM Saif-Ur-Rahman and Declan Devane (University in Galway, Ireland), worked closely with the World Health Organization, to ensure that the rapid review was relevant, timely and narrowly focused on therapeutic questions that directly apply to health care decisions.

Want to join the journal’s growing community?

• Sign up for content alerts so you never miss a new article
• Find out how to submit
• Register to be a peer reviewer (by creating an account in our Scholar 1 system)

Want to learn more about Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods?

Michael Brown and Ella Flemyng recently discussed why Cochrane launched a new journal, what its aim is, and how people from across the community can get involved.

 

Monday, March 20, 2023

Specifications: Fixed Term – 1 Year (Full Time, Open for Part-Time Role as well)
Salary: £35K per annum  
Location: Ideally based in the UK, Germany or Denmark. Candidates from the rest of the world will be considered; however, Cochrane’s Central Executive Team is only able to offer consultancy contracts outside these countries (1-year fixed-term contracts)
Directorate: Evidence Production & Methods
Closing date: 27 March 2023
 
Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. Cochrane's members and supporters come from more than 190 countries. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into five directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

The Future of Evidence Synthesis (FES) is a critical programme of work for Cochrane over the next 3-5 years. Successful delivery is essential for Cochrane’s future and sustainability. A core component of the new production model is the creation of Cochrane Evidence Synthesis Units (ESU) and Thematic Groups (TG). This role will work closely with the Head of Change Management, to 1) create, launch and manage the initial application process for Evidence Synthesis Units and 2) revise the application process and launch a second round for Thematic Groups and help to manage the initial stages of the ESU and TG pilots.

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everting we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.  

You can expect: 

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally  
• A flexible work environment  
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.
• The deadline to receive your application is 27th  March 2023.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. 
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Thursday, March 16, 2023 Category: Jobs

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

 

The Cochrane Review 'Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses' was published in January 2023 and has been widely misinterpreted.

Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief of the Cochrane Library, has responded on behalf of Cochrane:

  

Many commentators have claimed that a recently-updated Cochrane Review shows that 'masks don't work', which is an inaccurate and misleading interpretation.

It would be accurate to say that the review examined whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses, and that the results were inconclusive. Given the limitations in the primary evidence, the review is not able to address the question of whether mask-wearing itself reduces people's risk of contracting or spreading respiratory viruses. 

The review authors are clear on the limitations in the abstract: 'The high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions.' Adherence in this context refers to the number of people who actually wore the provided masks when encouraged to do so as part of the intervention. For example, in the most heavily-weighted trial of interventions to promote community mask wearing, 42.3% of people in the intervention arm wore masks compared to 13.3% of those in the control arm. 

The original Plain Language Summary for this review stated that 'We are uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses based on the studies we assessed.' This wording was open to misinterpretation, for which we apologize. While scientific evidence is never immune to misinterpretation, we take responsibility for not making the wording clearer from the outset. We are engaging with the review authors with the aim of updating the Plain Language Summary and abstract to make clear that the review looked at whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses.

• Read  the Cochrane Review 'Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses'

Friday, March 10, 2023